Strictly remaining dwell: Chris McCausland strikes decide Motsi Mabuse to tears as celebrities carry out second dances
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The Strictly Come Dancing final is upon us, as four couples are taking to the dancefloor one last time tonight.
Those vying for the glitterball trophy are Chris McCausland and his partner Dianne Buswell, Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola, Tasha Ghouri dancing with Aljaž Škorjanec and JB Gill and his pro partner Lauren Oakley.
McCausland is a firm favourite to win, and if he does take home the glitterball trophy tonight, it will make him the first blind contestant to become a Strictly champion.
The comedian’s first two dances of the night had an emotional impact, as judges Motsi Mabuse and Shirley Ballas were left in tears.
Prior to the live final, McCausland is reported to have faced a last-minute change of plan as his parents couldn’t travel to Hertfordshire to support him due to illness.
His mother Valerie has caught the flu, and will be unable to travel from their home in Liverpool to the Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, where the live episode will be filmed. McCausland’s father, John, told The Daily Mail that he will be remaining at home to look after her.
Ahead of the final, McCausland’s dance partner Buswell broke down in tears when she was shown a clip of McCausland’s dancing journey on It Takes Two, and she praised him for being “the most honest man I’ve ever met”.
In tonight’s final, the couples are dancing three numbers each: a judge’s pick, a show dance and the couple’s favourite dance from the series.
Tissues at the ready
For their Couple’s Favourite, Chris and Dianne are performing their Waltz to “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.
This is one of my favourite dances of the series and I’m delighted that we’re getting to see it again. The duo scored an admirable 35 when they danced it for the first time in week five and I’m pretty confident they’ll score even higher this time around. And that I will cry. Again.
Tasha’s scores are in…
And she’s finishing Strictly with a very well deserved 40.
JB’s ‘Merry Christmas’
Can I just backtrack to the end of JB’s dance? As he and Lauren spoke to Claudia, JB delivered his classic line from when JLS were on The X Factor.
Yes, he said: “Merry Christmas.” Flawless.
For anyone who is unfamiliar with the meme, here’s the original video:
Tasha’s last dance
Tasha and Aljaz’s Couple’s Favourite is one of two American Smooths tonight.
They scored 40 for theirs (set to Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone You Loved”) first time around, so the judges will be looking for total perfection again. And I think they’ve delivered.
Tasha has thrived with all dance styles but this slightly lyrical take on the American Smooth really suits her. What a lovely routine to finsh her Strictly journey.
JB’s scores are in…
And he’s landed his second 40 of the night! That leaves JB with a total of 119 out of a possible 120.
JB’s Samba is even better second time around
That was just brilliant. As JB said in his VT, the Samba is a routine that just really seems to suit him — which isn’t something many celebs can say.
“Who chooses to do a Samba three times?” Shirley said, referencing the fact JB also won the Samba-thon. “There wasn’t a part of your body that didn’t scream ‘samba’. That’s one of the best Sambas I’ve ever seen.”
“You are an exceptional dancer,” Anton said. “You are wonderful to watch.”
And Craig? “Samba sensation, darling.”
“Not just Samba sensation, for me you’re a role model,” said Motsi. “You’ve showed us you can always change the narrative.”
JB dances for the last time
Nothing says “I’ve aced this series” quite like being able to pick a dance style most couples dread as your favourite dance. JB and Lauren are performing their Samba again, which scored them 37 in week eight.
“For me, it was a no-brainer to revisit this,” JB said in their VT.
Sarah’s scores are in…
It’s a 9 from Craig and 10s from the rest of the panel, for a total of 39.
Sarah’s comments are in…
It seemed like Sarah was a little unhappy there? After Tess asked “Did you love that?”, Sarah replied: “I did, even though it went a bit…” She then looked down at the floor.
I didn’t notice anything wrong and the judges didn’t seem to either.
“You’re amazing, you’re so brilliant,” Anton said. “You can do anything my love, and you are doing it all.”
“The risky lifts, I don’t know how you did that,” Craig said. “They were absolutely extraordinary.”
Sarah performs the final Show Dance
A Show Dance to Cabaret is right up my street. And Sarah’s too — her Sweet Charity number in Blackpool is one of the best dances of the series.
First of all: great wig.
Second of all: what a routine. I feel like I was on the edge of my seat for the whole of that. The lifts were next level, the footwork was incredible and it was absolutely non-stop from start to finish. I need a lay down.
